Please read first. This information is provided for informational purposes only. In our home, we do not allow free use of social media for anyone under 18. We believe the potential harms outweigh the good, and any social media use should be closely monitored by a parent.

Social media apps for kids: ages, parental controls and our verdicts

Every app on this page requires your child to be at least 13. We advise against X and TikTok for kids. X allows explicit adult content. TikTok raises content concerns and has an endless video feed. If you allow Instagram or Snapchat, use them only with their parent tools turned on (Meta Family Center, Snapchat Family Center) and close monitoring. For younger kids, YouTube Kids with parent settings is the safer choice. BeReal and Locket are lower risk, but they still need close monitoring.

Last checked: October 16, 2026 (checked Oct 2026). Apps change their rules often. Check the app's own site before you decide.

What this means for your family

Under 13: none of these apps allow it. YouTube Kids or a supervised YouTube account is the exception.
X and TikTok: our advice is to say no for kids. Block them on the phone (steps below).
Instagram or Snapchat: if you allow it, turn on the app's parent tool on day one. Your teen has to accept the invite.
All apps: use your phone's built-in controls as a backup. These work even if your teen turns off an app's own settings.

Words you'll see on this page

Algorithm: The computer program an app uses to pick what to show next, based on what your child watched before.
Endless scroll (feed): A stream of posts or videos that never runs out. There is no natural place to stop.
Supervision / linking: Connecting your account to your child's account so you can see and change some of their settings.
Private account: Only people your child approves can see their posts.
DM (direct message): A private message between users.
Screen Time: Apple's free parental controls, built into every iPhone and iPad.
Family Link: Google's free parental controls for Android phones and Chromebooks.
Bark: A paid parental control service (see our Bark guide).

At a glance

App	Minimum age	Parent tool	Our verdict
X (formerly Twitter)	13	None found	We advise against it.
TikTok	13 (14 in FL)	Family Pairing	We advise against it.
Instagram	13	Meta Family Center	If you allow it: only with supervision tools on and close monitoring.
Snapchat	13	Snapchat Family Center	If you allow it: only with supervision tools on and close monitoring.
YouTube and YouTube Kids	Under 13 needs supervision	YouTube Kids, supervised accounts	If you allow it: YouTube Kids or a supervised account, with close monitoring.
BeReal	13	None found	Lower risk, but still monitor closely.
Locket (Locket Widget)	13 (under 18 with parent OK)	None found	Lower risk, but still monitor closely.

X (formerly Twitter)

We advise against it.

Minimum age	13. [Source: X Terms of Service]
Parental controls	None found. We found no parent-linking tool on X's official pages.
What worries us	X allows adult nudity and sexual content (porn), as long as it is labeled and not shown in prominent places like profile pictures. X says users under 18, or with no birth date on their profile, can't click through to see marked posts. But that depends on the birth date your child types in, and on posters labeling correctly. [Source: X Help Center: Adult Content Policy (updated May 2024)]

Our verdict: Don't allow X for children or young teens. Explicit adult content is allowed on the app, and the main barrier is a birth date your child types in themselves. There is no parent tool to fall back on.

TikTok

We advise against it.

Minimum age	13 (14 in Florida). There is a separate, limited "Under 13 Experience" in the US. [Source: TikTok Terms of Service (US)]
Parental controls	Family Pairing (links your TikTok account to your teen's): daily time limits that can differ by day, a passcode from you to keep watching after the limit, and Time Away to block TikTok during hours you choose. You can also see who your teen follows and who follows them. [Source: TikTok Family Pairing help; TikTok Guardian's Guide; TikTok Newsroom: Time Away]
Built-in teen settings	Accounts for 13–17 are private by default, with a 60-minute daily limit turned on by default. No direct messages for under 16. [Source: TikTok Guardian's Guide]
What worries us	TikTok's main screen is an endless stream of short videos picked by a computer program (an "algorithm"). It never runs out. TikTok itself sets a 60-minute default limit for teens, which tells you how easy it is to lose track of time. Note: a teen can tap past the default limit unless you set it with Family Pairing. [Source: TikTok Guardian's Guide; TikTok Newsroom: Time Away]

Our verdict: We advise against TikTok for kids. Our concerns are the content a teen can be shown and the endless scroll. If your teen already uses it, set up Family Pairing and Time Away tonight.

Instagram

If you allow it: only with supervision tools on and close monitoring.

Minimum age	13. [Source: Instagram Terms of Use]
Parental controls	Teen Accounts are automatic for teens. Meta Family Center supervision lets you see time spent, set daily limits, see who your teen follows and who follows them, and get alerts when they report someone. You can't read their messages. Your teen has to accept the invite. They can turn supervision off, but you get notified. [Source: Meta Family Center: Instagram; Meta Family Center: Supervision]
Built-in teen settings	Private account under 18. Teens under 16 need your permission to make it public, to go Live, or to change the 60-minute daily reminder. Only people they follow can message them. Sleep mode mutes notifications at night. [Source: Meta Family Center: Instagram]
Honest limits	Meta says you can't fully control what shows up in Explore and Reels, the endless video feeds. [Source: Meta Family Center: Supervision]

Our verdict: If you allow it, only for teens 13+ with Family Center supervision turned on and close parent monitoring. Keep an eye on Reels time.

Snapchat

If you allow it: only with supervision tools on and close monitoring.

Minimum age	13 (or older where local law says so). [Source: Snap Terms of Service]
Parental controls	Family Center: see your teen's friends list and new friends, see who they are chatting with (not the messages), see how much time they spend, share locations as a family, and report accounts. Your teen has to accept the invite. [Source: Snapchat Family Center]
Honest limits	You don't see the photos or messages themselves, only who your teen talks to. [Source: Snapchat Family Center]

Our verdict: If you allow it, only for teens 13+ with Family Center turned on and close parent monitoring. Check the friends list together regularly.

YouTube and YouTube Kids

If you allow it: YouTube Kids or a supervised account, with close monitoring.

Minimum age	Under 13 (or your country's age) needs a parent-managed supervised account or YouTube Kids. Teens can use a regular account, with optional supervision. [Source: YouTube Help: Your choices as a family]
Parental controls	YouTube Kids: a separate app with content levels (Preschool 4 and under, Younger 5–8, Older 9–12, or only videos you approve). You can turn off search. Supervised kid account (under 13): regular YouTube with a content setting you choose. Supervised teen account: optional for 13+. [Source: YouTube Help: Your choices as a family; YouTube Kids parental controls; YouTube Help: Supervised kid accounts]
Honest limits	YouTube Kids has a smaller selection than regular YouTube, but no filter is perfect. YouTube asks parents to report videos that slip through. [Source: YouTube Help: Your choices as a family]

Our verdict: If you allow it, use YouTube Kids with search turned off for younger kids, and a supervised account for older kids. Watch together and check history often.

BeReal

Lower risk, but still monitor closely.

Minimum age	13. [Source: BeReal Terms of Service]
Parental controls	No parent-linking tool found. BeReal says teen accounts are private, strangers can't find them without the phone number or username, and there's no endless feed. [Source: BeReal Child Safety]
What to watch	Location: off by default. Once turned on, it stays on for future posts until turned off. Who sees photos: "My friends only" or "My friends + their friends" (some regions). Choose friends only. [Source: BeReal Help: Share your location; BeReal Help: Friends of Friends]

Our verdict: Lower risk, but still monitor closely. If you allow it, check together that location is off and posts are set to friends only.

Locket (Locket Widget)

Lower risk, but still monitor closely.

Minimum age	13. Users under 18 need a parent's or guardian's approval. [Source: Locket Terms of Service]
Parental controls	No parent-linking tool found.
What to watch	Photos go only to accepted friends, and there's a limit of 20 friends (unlimited with the paid Locket Gold). The photos show up right on the home screen. [Source: Locket Help: friend limit]

Our verdict: Lower risk because it's limited to a small circle, but still monitor closely. Look at who the 20 friends are.

How to block or limit any of these apps

These controls live on the phone itself, so they work no matter which app it is.

iPhone or iPad: Screen Time (free)

On your iPhone, open Settings.
Tap Family, then tap your child's name.
Tap Screen Time and follow the steps. Set the Screen Time passcode on your own phone, not your child's.
Under Apps & Websites, block a specific app (for example TikTok or X).
Or use Time Allowances to set a daily time budget for the social media category.
Leave Ask to Buy on, so your child has to ask you before downloading new apps.

[Source: Apple Support: Screen Time for your child]

You need Family Sharing set up, and your child needs their own Child Account. The newest controls need iOS 27 on every device in the family. [Source: Apple Support: Screen Time for your child]

Android or Chromebook: Google Family Link (free)

Open the Family Link app on your phone.
Select your child.
Tap Screen time, then Time limits, then App limits.
Tap the app, then switch it from Allowed to Blocked, and tap Done.

It takes effect in about 5 minutes and applies to all of your child's Android devices. Note: Family Link can't supervise an iPhone or iPad. [Source: Google Family Link: Get started]

Bark (paid)

Bark says its parental controls can block apps and websites, set screen time schedules (for example, blocking social media during the school day), and pause the internet. Time limits for each app are a Bark Phone feature only. [Source: Bark: Manage screen time] See our Bark setup guide for plans and steps.

Common questions

Is X (Twitter) safe for kids?

We advise against it. X allows labeled adult sexual content, and the age check relies largely on the birth date on the profile. We found no parental controls on X.

What is the minimum age for TikTok?

13 in the US (14 in Florida), according to TikTok's terms. There is a separate, limited Under 13 Experience.

What is TikTok Family Pairing?

A free TikTok feature that links your account to your teen's. You can set daily time limits, block TikTok during set hours with Time Away, and see who they follow.

Can I block TikTok on my child's iPhone?

Yes. In iPhone Screen Time you can block specific apps, or set a time limit for the social media category.

Sources (checked Oct 2026)

Note: Instagram's Terms of Use page blocked our automated check this month. We confirmed its minimum age through published copies of the terms.